Recording-scale for railway-cars



S. D. WRIGHT.

RECORDING SCALE FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.24.19IB.

i W A Q m 4 -F: a m a m m 4 U 7 my S. D. WRIGHT.

RECORDING SCALE FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED APR-24,1918.

Patented Feb. 3, 1920.

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5'. n. WRIGHT. RECORDING SCALE FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED APR 24. I9I8.

Patented Feb. 3, 1920.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3- l l I II M s. n. WRIGHT. RECORDING SCALE FOR RAILWAY CABS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 2% I918- 1,329,567. Patented Feb. 3,1920.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

SAMSON D. WRIGHT, 0F CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO.

RECORDING-SCALE FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 3, 1920.

Application filed April 24, 1918. Serial No. 230,549.

way cars in which a mixture of various ingredients is brought together from various sources and conveyed to some place Where an industrial operation is performed therewith, the mechanism of this invention serving to indicate the quantityof each ingredient placed in the car and to also preserve a complete record of the various loads deposited in the car during a given perlod.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved mechanism of this kind which accurately indicates and records the required data, which perfectly protects the delicate operating parts so that they are not injured by the rough shocks and jars of service, and which mechanism is simple, is

easily adjusted, and is not liable to get out of order in service.

Further objects of the invention are in part obvious and in part will appear more in detail hereinafter.

The invention comprises the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, which represent one embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a front elevation, the front casing wall being omitted for clearness of illustration; Fig. 2 is a side elevation from the right in Fig. 1, the side casing wall being omitted; Fig. 3 is an elevation from the left in Fig. 1, showing the inner operating mechanism; Fig. 4 is a plan view thereof; Fig. 5 is a detail elevation, on a larger scale corresponding to Fig.

2, and showing the recording mechanism; Fig. 6 is a plan view thereof; and Fig. 7 1s a detail view of the operating mechanism for the indicating pointer.

The mechanism illustrated in the drawings is preferably inclosed and protected in a suitable casing, comprising a floor or support 1, side walls 2, a top 3, a rear wall 4,

tion on the car,

f scale is visible cushioning the movement.

shown as a rectangular vbar, which rests on 14 of a member 15,

and a front wall 5. Any of said walls may be made transparent, the front wall being so illustrated, in order to expose to view the inner mechanism, and especially the indicatmg scale, so that the observer can see the indications of the mechanism without opening the casing. a

The fioor 1 forms a support for the inner operating mechanism of the recorder, and itself is supported in any convenient posiators platform or cab, where the indicating to him from his position when operating the motor controller of the car. The recorder is also attached to the car in such manner that the mechanism therein is affected by relative vertical movement betweendifl'erent parts of the car when such as adjacentthe opera load is placed in the car. This is a common method of attachment of devices of this character and requires no further description, as it will be readily understood that there are various places on the car where the necessary recorder support and connection for the operating mechanism can be secured.

In the recorder casing and secured to the floor thereof is a frame 6 having a bearing 7 to support a knife edge of a lever 8 connected by a depending rod 9 and any other suitable operating mechanism to that portion of the car which is movable relatively to the recorder support, and which there fore serves to operate the indicating and recording mechanism. Consequently, when a load isplaced in the body of the car the downward movement of said body turns the lever 8 .in a clock-wise direction, Fig. 1, about its knife edge pivot on the bearing 7. 10 indicates a rod connecting the free end of said lever to a suitable dash pot 11 for On the lever 8 is a knife edge 12,

a bearing 13 in the eye adjustably secured to a threaded rod 16 Whose upper end is provided with a head 17 having laterally extending teeth or projections 18 adapted to be threaded or engaged between the convolutions of an extension spring 19 supported by an eye 20 adjustably connected to a standard 21 of the frame 6. This spring 19 returns lever 8 and the other operating mechanism to normal position when the load is removed from the car.

portion formed as a rack 26 whose teeth.

mesh with the teeth of a pinion 27 on a shaft 28. Shaft 28 on its outer endis provided with a large hand or pointer 29 whose outer end travels over an annular scale or 'dial 30 visible through the window 5 and whose periphery is provided with a series of graduations 31 indicating pounds, hundreds of pounds, tons or the like, as may be most convenient. In the frame 6 is a depending lever 32 pivoted at 33"and carrying a roller 34 held against the back of the rack 26 by an adjustable compression spring 35. This spring and roller hold the rack in engagement with the pinion 27, so that positivefmovement of the indicating pointer is secured. The bar 24 however, rests loosely upon its knife edge 22, but said bar is made of sufiicient Weight so that it falls easily by gravity and is lifted by upward movement of the lever 8. In other words, said bar and rack follow closely and exactly the vertical movement of the lever 8 in the casing and therefore move the indicating pointer to a position corresponding to the load in the car. The operating mechanism of the scale just described is preferabl in an inner casing 36, outside of the front wall of said casing, and the shaft 28 extending through said dial and front wall. is located the recording mechanism now to be described, said meechanism being carried by a support 37 forming a portion of the frame 6. As indicated said recording mechanism includes a flexible but nonextensible continuous band or tape 38, which may be made, for example of steel or other metal. Said tape travels over two idle pulleys 39, and its lower portion travels over a driving wheel 40 having a series of small pins or teeth 41 adapted to enter holes in the tape and forming a driving connection therefor. Wheel 40 is carried by the rear end of shaft 28, which extends out wardly through the back of the casing 36. Consequently, rotating movement of the shaft 28 turns the wheel 40 and produces horizontal movement the upper horizontal portion of tape 38.

Tape 38 at one point is broken, one of the adjacent ends carrying a swiveled screw 42 working in a nut 43 carried by the other end, this arrangement enabling the tension of the tape to be maintained or adjusted, as desired. Said tape, and particularly the upper horizontal portion thereof, has secured thereto a rearwardly extending light leaf spring 44, whose rearward end portion is bent upwardly and has secured thereto a small spool 45, which supports a markcontained witht e dial 30 beingv Behind said casing 'erably, although not from side to side of' device 46. Said device is shown as a screw threaded into the spool so as to be adjustable vertically therein, its lower end being formed as a comparatively sharp point 47 Spring 44 is rigidly connected to the tape 38, so that lateral movement of the tape produces corresponding movement of the spring 44 and spool 45, said spool having slidable engagement in a channel or slot 48 in a bar 49 supported for oscillating movement in any suitable manner,'such as by engagement with the adjustable pivot screws 50. One of the side arms of said bar has a lever arm or extension 51 which lies beneath a lug 52 of the support 37, and whose'outer end is perforated to receive a threadedrod 53, on which are, two pairs of adjustable nuts 54, one pair above and the other below said lever 51. Lug 52 and the lever 51 are perforated to receive a vertically extending rod 55 having an eye at its lower end connected by a light tension spring-56 toan armature lever 57 pivoted at 57 to the frame and at 58 to the lower end of rod 53, said armature lever coiiperating with an electro-magnet or magnets 59. 60 represents a second lug on the support 37,

ing

- and 61 a compression spring surrounding the rod 55 and lying between the lug 60 and lever 51.

The permanent record retained in the mechanism is in the form of a paper web with indications thereon of the time and amount of loads placed in the car. This web is unwound from a spool 62 and travels upwardly and over a stationary cylinder 63 having a longitudinally. extending slot 64 lying directly beneath the marking point 4.7. From the cylinder 63 the webtravels rearwardly over two drums 65 providedon their outer surfaces with pins or teeth 66 adapted toenter previously formed perforations 67 in the paper web. These drums are carried by a suitable clock mechanism 69. The par ticular form of the clock mechanism is not essential. It may be of ordinary type, with a dial 70 if desired, its only requirement being that it turn the spindle so as to advance the record web uniformly through a definite distance in a given period. Prefnecessarily, the web is ruled crosswise with lines representing divisions of time, and the clock mechanism will be of such construction and so geared as to advance the web in proportion to the ruling thereon representing time periods.

From the driving drums 65 the web runs backwardly over a suitable support 72 into the chamber 71 in the casing, in which it piles up in zig-zag form during the course of a day or so. The free end of the web passes out over a tension roller 73 and through a slot 74 in the outer casing to the outside thereof. Consequently, the free end can be pulled out and an desired ortion of the record torn off wit out opening the casing.

The spool 62 is preferably removably mounted in the casing so as to enable it to be withdrawn and refilled or a new spool to be substituted therefor. As shown, one end of the spool is supported upon the end of a screw adjustably mounted in the frame while its opposite end is supported by the inner end of a spindle 76 pressed inwardly by a spring 77 and provided on its outer end with a head 78 by means of which it may be pulled out to release the spool. This construction is well known and requires no further description. Adjustment of the screw 75 however enables the erforations in the record web to be sh-i d laterally into registration with the pins 66.

In use of the apparatus it is understood that the clock mechanism is running continuously and that it uniformly and continuously advances the upper web over the cylindrical abutment 63. The electro-magnets 69 are in a circuit 79 connected to a suitable source of current, such as the battery 80 and arranged to be energized either at will or automatically. For example, said circuit may be provided with a hand switch 81 which is located conveniently for the operator and is closed each time a load is placed in the car. Assuming that the car is empty the indicating pointer 29 will stand at zero, while the marking device 47 will be at one side of the paper web. If a first load of one thousand pounds is placed in the car the hand will move over the dial to indicate a load of one thousand pounds and when the electro-magnets are energized, either by hand or automatically, the armature lever 57 is pulled down. This depresses the nuts 54: whose impact on the lever 51 produces a sudden depressing movement of said lever, causing the marking device 47 to puncture the paper. Said marking device will have been moved to a new position laterally of the web indicating the amount of the first load. Even if the circuit through the electro-magnet remains closed the spring 61 will immediately restore lever 51 toits original po: sition, so that advance of the paper is not interfered with. The addition ofa second .load to the car moves the indicating pointer to a new position, and a second actuation of the electro-magnet records upon the paper record the total of the first and second loads. The operations proceed throughout any given period, such as a day, and at the end of which period the casing contains a complete record of the amount and time of each load placed in the car.

The mechanism is relatively simple, requires no special attention and is not liable to get out of order in service. It serves as an ever present means of indicating to the the position of said device,

operator the total load in the car, and thereby enables him to accurately adjust the proportions of difl'erent ingredients in a mixture, or the weight of a given material to be carried from one lace to another. At the same time, it prodilces a graphic record of the operation of the car. The record not only indicates the weights ofmatcrial deposited in the car but also graphically indicates the time factor, so that the record is practically a history of the work of the car. The electrical actuating mechanism also enables the recording device to be actuated from a distance, so that the recorder can be located on one part of the car and can be actuated from any other part thereof, as may be most convenient without requiring the operator to go to the recorder, itself for producing a record therein of the load.

It will, of course, be understood that the 85 invention is not limited to the exact construction and arrangement of parts described and shown, but is capable of considerable modification without departing from the spirit of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

1. In a recording scale for railway cars, the combination of an oscillating frame having a, guide bar, a marking device movable along said guide bar, means whereby the position of said device on said bar varies with the load in the car, a stationary grooved roll abutment beneath said guide bar, a record web supported for movement around said abutment, means for moving said web, and means for oscillating said frame to cause said device to mutilate the record.

2. In a recording scale for railway cars, the combination of a movable record, a pivoted frame having a guide bar lying above 106 and extending transversely to the direction of movement of the record, a marking device slidable along said guide bar, and means controlled by the load in. the car for varying the position of said device.

3. In a recording scale for railway cars, the combination of a movable record, a pivoted frame having a guide bar lying above and extending transversely to the direction of movement of the record, a marking device slidable along said guide bar, means controlled by the load in the car for varying and an electromagnetic means eflFective upon said frame for causing the marking device to mutilate the record.

4. In a recording scale for railway cars, the combination of a movable record, a pivoted frame having a guide bar lying above and extending transversely to the direction of movement of the record, a marking device slidable along said guide bar, and means controlled by the load in the car for varying the position of said device, said frame having an arm, a magnetic coil, a movable armature cooperating therewith, and a link connecting said armature and arm.

5. In a recording scale for railway cars, the combination of a movable record, a pivotedframe having a guide bar lying above and extending transversely to the direction of movement of the record, a marking device slidable along said guide bar, and means controlled by the load in the car for varying the position of said device, said frame having an arm, a magnetic coil, a movable armature cooperating therewith, and alink connecting said armature and arm, the connection between said link and arm being such as to provide lost motion therebetween.

6. In a recording scale for railway cars, the combination of a movable record, a piv- 'slidable along said guide bar, means controlled by the load in the car for varying the position of said device, said frame having an arm, amagnetic coil, a movable arma- V tum-cooperating therewith, a link connecting said armature and arm, the connection between said link and arm being such as to provide lost 'motion therebetween, a spring normally holding said frame away from the record, and an additional spring for retracting the armature from its coil.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

SAMSON D. WRIGHT. 

